The Daily Gamecock

Perspective key to successful finals week

Burdensome stress prevalent at end of semester; relaxation a must

Finals week is finally upon us — the week most, if not all, students dread for four months. The time of the school year when everyone kicks themselves for not going to that Friday morning class or not studying those polyatomic ions your professor told you would be good to know for the final.

Well, there’s no denying it, but really is there any need to stress about it?

I cannot even begin to tell you how many statuses and tweets I have seen about finals “killing” someone or the fact someone may “die” because of his or her STAT 110 exam. The thought of a final exam “killing” someone is admittedly a priceless and rather funny mental image; but really it’s just an exam.

I know it is quite important in keeping a certain GPA or the difference between passing and failing a course for some people, but there are more important things in life.

If you have not stopped to smell the roses at all this week because of finals, shame on you. The weather outside is beautiful, you are not going to see some of your friends until January and this is your last time to eat food from Russell House until after break — however good (or bad) it may be.

Deal with stress a little differently than you ever have before: Go on a walk to somewhere in Columbia, spend time with that girl you always wanted to but never asked, call your mom and tell her how excited you are to see her and enjoy her delicious Chex Mix. The list really is endless.

My favorite way to deal with stress and know that everything is going to be OK in the world is looking for the little quirks of everyday life that just make you laugh out loud. For example, last year I was up until three in the morning looking over my notes for a exam (more like procrastinating on ESPN and Facebook), and my roommate, who has a knack for doing some pretty weird things in his sleep, suddenly woke up and stared at me from his bed.

I was a little freaked out at this point, so I asked him what was wrong. He proceeded to talk to me in French and told me, “It’s in the kitchen,” and went right back to sleep. I laughed about it for about a week.

Also, think about this: It’s Christmas time! I mean, really, can you hate your life or any professor during this time of year? I mean, I understand if you want to spit in your professor’s face in late April, but not December.

Just remember it could be worse. Take in life; do not just fast-forward through this time. Learn from your mistakes; rejoice that you got a “C” in that pesky philosophy course, and Merry Christmas to all.

More Like This

Comments

Trending Now

Send a Tip Get Our Email Editions